There’s growing evidence that Kylie Jenner & Timothee Chalamet might actually be happening? I don’t know, guys. [LaineyGossip]
This Dalai Lama story is so… unsettling. [Jezebel]
Martha Stewart enjoyed a margarita in a measuring cup. [Dlisted]
Ben Affleck is possibly a prestigious version of Adam Sandler? [Pajiba]
Taraji P. Henson’s ensemble is absurd! [RCFA]
Here are those photos of Taylor Swift, out in New York last night. [JustJared]
Jenny Slate looked good throughout the awards season. [GFY]
Discontinued things which should make a comeback. [Buzzfeed]
Miranda Kerr looks cute in an eyelet top. [Egotastic]
Every Teen Mom headline is just… the worst. [Starcasm]

Kylie Jenner and Timothée Chalamet interacting during Paris Fashion Week in resurfaced video amid dating rumors. pic.twitter.com/kWc7Vlsd9z

— Buzzing Pop (@BuzzingPop) April 8, 2023

Millie Bobby Brown has grown up so fast. She had to, out of necessity. She has stage parents and she is the sole provider for her family. She’s been working for a decade or longer and she’s only 19 years old. For years, she’s been desperate to carve out her own life, away from her stage parents, which has led her into a couple of pretty awful relationships with really toxic douchebags. But for the past year (maybe longer?), she’s been with Jake Bongiovi, son of Jon Bon Jovi. He’s 20 years old. They just got engaged:

Stranger things have happened! Millie Bobby Brown took to Instagram on Tuesday morning seemingly announcing her engagement to boyfriend Jake Bongiovi.

The 19-year-old Stranger Things star posted a sweet black and white photo of herself grinning with Bongiovi, the 20-year-old son of on Bon Jovi, hugging her from behind while a large diamond ring was on display on her ring finger.

Brown captioned the pic with the lyrics to Taylor Swift’s song “Lover,” writing, “I’ve loved you three summers now, honey, I want ’em all”

[From ET]

I mean… they’re way too young. But God bless, honestly. I hope they make it, I hope they’re happy and I hope they find a way to take care of each other. The fact that he’s a nepo baby is actually giving me some hope, in general. Like, I know Jon Bon Jovi didn’t raise a scrub. Jake’s been around fame and the industry all his life. But yeah – two kids who are too eager to grow up. We were the same at that age too, don’t forget.

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Photos courtesy of Avalon Red, Instagram.

The general consensus of Prince Harry’s Spare was that the parts of the memoir devoted to Harry’s military service weren’t the most interesting or gossip-worthy sections. I sort of agree, even though I understand why Harry wrote so much about his tours of duty and his training. Much of the book is about his mental health journey, and one of his major goals is normalizing conversations with veterans about mental health. What I found fascinating about those sections was Harry’s descriptions of the mostly ex-military men on his staff and his father’s staff, advising him and pushing him into military service and Apache flight training. While I absolutely believe Harry would have found a way to go to war regardless of their advice, he was definitely put on his path by men he trusted. It was not the same for William – his military training and service was merely ticking off some “future king” boxes. Still, the narrative is being rewritten to make William sound like he was very keen to serve in Afghanistan.

The Queen wanted both William and Harry to fight the Taliban in Afghanistan when war broke out in 2001, before deciding it was too risky to send the future heir to the throne, an ex-Army chief has revealed in a breach of protocol. The decision over whether the princes should take part in the conflict was discussed at a meeting between the late Elizabeth II and General Sir Mike Jackson, formerly head of the British Army.

In an upcoming ITVX documentary called The Real Crown, Sir Mike breached protocol by revealing details of his private audience with the Queen. He said: ‘What goes on in those audiences and who says what to whom remains for the two people involved, and I will break the rule about not divulging what goes on on this one occasion. She was very clear. She said, “My grandsons have taken my shilling, therefore they must do their duty.” And that was that. But it was decided that William as heir to the heir, the risk is too great. But for his younger brother, the risk was acceptable.’

The Real Crown reveals that the Queen had put a lot of thought into the decision as she had detailed information about the risks faced by UK armed personnel in Afghanistan. Sir John Scarlett, at the time head of MI6, said: ‘Of course she has complete clearance to everything. She has complete access to an exceptional amount of info and insight for longer than anyone else. William was very keen to go.’

He added: ‘She’s very, very discreet, completely reliable and completely on top of the detail. I remember thinking at the time, “Wow, Her Majesty knows more about this than we do”.’

William completed a training course at the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst spanning 44 weeks after graduating from university. He was commissioned as an Army officer in December 2006. He joined the Household Cavalry (Blues and Royals) until 2008 and was later attached to the Royal Air Force and Navy. Harry served in the Army for ten years, rising to the rank of Captain and undertaking two operational tours of duty in Afghanistan, in 2007-8 and 2012-13.

The documentary shows that William was stopped from joining the war, despite wanting to, due to his position as a future King. Mark Cann, director of the British Forces Foundation, said in the series: ‘William was very keen to go. Unequivocally. But it was complex, and some very great minds and experienced people took a view on it. I think it was really tricky. Anybody who’s in the military who hasn’t actually been on operation feels a sense of disappointment. And I think especially that was the one (war) at the time, you’ve got everyone around you at the time who’s been involved in it. So there is a sense of disappointment.’

[From The Daily Mail]

Well, it sounds like QEII signed off on sending both Harry and William into Afghanistan but other people – people in the military, one would assume – were the ones to say that William shouldn’t go. I actually don’t read this particular story as William being coddled as the heir – I think they always used Harry as a “canary in the coal mine,” and after seeing what happened to Harry on his first tour, they shut it down. Plus, those military men knew William was deeply unprepared. Please. That man half-asses everything.

Interestingly, it doesn’t seem like anyone is addressing the fact that William still could have served in some sort of overseas military function, just not in a theater of war? There are lots of other military postings and William could have had his pick. So why didn’t he get that experience? Don’t tell me, I think I know.

Photos courtesy of Avalon Red, Cover Images.

Sophie, the Duchess of Edinburgh (formerly the Countess of Wessex) has always had a chip on her shoulder about the Duchess of Sussex. I don’t think Sophie likes younger women, pretty women or women with the kind of natural, attention-grabbing charisma she lacks. In any case, Sophie has been leaking crap about Meghan from the word go. Sophie is – I believe – behind many of the early stories about how she was appointed to show Meghan the ropes as a royal (which I doubt happened), and Sophie has leaked variations of a story about “Sophie tried to teach Meghan how to be royal but Meghan SNUBBED poor delicate Sophie.” The latest addendum to the story is that poor Sophie simply needed to be made into a duchess because she simply could NOT curtsey to a Black woman. Well, Robert Jobson’s new book has new versions of those stories:

The Duchess of Sussex dismissed the Queen’s advice before her marriage to Prince Harry, according to a bombshell new book serialised in the Daily Mail. Her late Majesty had recommended that Meghan, then the fiancee of her grandson, ask her daughter-in-law, Sophie, now the Duchess of Edinburgh, for help before her wedding day.

Sophie Rhys-Jones, 58, married Prince Edward in a lavish ceremony at St George’s Chapel in 1999 and has weathered her own share of scandals – but became a ‘second daughter’ to Queen Elizabeth II and is now a trusted senior royal. But Meghan offered only a curt reply to the monarch, saying: ‘I’ve got Harry.’

The revelation comes in Robert Jobson’s new book Our King: Charles III — The Man And The Monarch Revealed – with part two being published in this weekend’s Mail on Sunday.

The Queen had been determined that Harry and Meghan’s marriage would be off to a good start and offered the Duchess the help of one of her most trusted aides in Sophie. She had undoubtedly expected her kind offer to be met with gratitude and was surprised to be rejected by the American actress, who believed that the help of her husband would be enough.

Queen Elizabeth II believed strongly that Meghan – a divorced, mixed-race American actress – would be a a breath of fresh air and a great asset to the monarchy. And while things started positively, after the royal couple stepped back from duties at the beginning of 2020, their relationship with the rest of the family began to disintegrate.

The Duchess of Edinburgh, who was recently elevated, became a mainstay of the Queen’s household after the death of Prince Philip. It was said after she was granted her new rank, alongside her husband, Prince Edward, who inherited his fathers’s title, that the new Duchess was ‘relieved’ she would no longer have to curtsey to Meghan.

[From The Daily Mail]

So, Sophie was never sent to give princess lessons to Meghan only to be rebuffed by Meghan personally? Sophie was never actually tasked with helping Meghan? Because that was what Sophie said happened for years. Anyway, I doubt that this latest version of events is what actually happened – the royal establishment hasn’t ever been able to keep their stories straight about who was sent to help Meghan or who said what to whom. For a while, we were supposed to believe that QEII only sent Baroness Susan Hussey, remember? They never said that Kate was sent to help Meghan, probably because Kate is such a terrible royal figure.

I also don’t believe that Meghan would have rejected any offer from QEII. If QEII had said, “The Marchioness of Diggleybiscuitshire would be a wonderful resource for you,” Meghan would have immediately jotted down the marchioness’s number and set up a lunch. Meghan was super-eager to please, especially in the early days. It’s far more likely that QEII and everyone else believed they were setting Meghan up to fail and they always had a “sink or swim” attitude about her and they were shocked by how well she did so quickly.

Photos courtesy of WENN, Avalon Red, Cover Images.

Taylor Swift is 100% in control of the breakup narrative. That’s my sense of things – the news of her split from Joe Alwyn came out just before Easter Sunday, a typically quiet weekend for gossip. Her reps didn’t deny anything, and the news was leaked gently to established outlets like Entertainment Tonight and People. The story came out when she wasn’t about to perform a concert for her Eras Tour. Add to all of that, Taylor stepped out in New York last night and gave the paparazzi some exclusive photos where she looked great. The message: she’s not crying at home, she’s out with friends (Margaret Qualley and Jack Antonoff) and she looks happy and healthy. We’re even learning more about why this six-year relationship ended. Via People:

Why they split: Taylor Swift and Joe Alwyn broke up a few weeks ago after six years of dating, and a source close to the Grammy winner and the Conversations with Friends actor tells PEOPLE the split was largely caused by “differences in their personalities.”

Rough patches: “They’ve had rough patches before and always worked things out, so friends thought they would take some time apart but eventually come back together,” says the source, noting that “ultimately” Swift, 33, and Alwyn, 32, “weren’t the right fit for one another.”

The safe bubble in the early days: “They had plenty in common and fell in love in a safe bubble while she was retreating from the world during Reputation,” adds the source, referring to Swift’s 2017 studio album. “Then the pandemic hit, and they were locked down together and able to continue growing their relationship in this insulated way. But he didn’t really ‘know’ her yet outside of that bubble.”

Joe didn’t like the limelight: Throughout their relationship, the pair kept details of their romance to themselves, demurring on engagement rumors in recent years. Sources say the pair bonded quickly over shared passions for art and creativity. Indeed, Swift has released 10 songs co-written and/or co-produced with Alwyn, who wrote under the pseudonym William Bowery. The collaborations include six songs on Folklore, three songs on Evermore and “Sweet Nothing” on Midnights. Still, insiders say the actor — who emphasized his need for privacy when asked about Swift during interviews — didn’t like the limelight.

Struggled with fame: “Joe has struggled with Taylor’s level of fame and the attention from the public,” says the source. “The differences in their personalities have also become harder to ignore after years together. They’ve grown apart.”

Talk about marriage: According to multiple sources, Swift and Alwyn had been “talking about marriage as recently as a few months ago.” But at the end of the day, the couple wasn’t ready for a future together. “Taylor didn’t see them working out in the long run,” says the insider, who adds that the split happened “recently” and was “not dramatic.”

Not dramatic: “They are friendly. She doesn’t have anything bad to say about Joe,” adds the insider. “They just grew apart. Taylor is staying very focused on her tour right now.” Despite the breakup, the source adds, “There is a lot of respect still between them.”

[From People]

It’s interesting, I guess. Taylor and her people definitely want to leave the impression that she was the driver of this split, that while it was mutual and a gentle growing-apart, Taylor was the one who realized that she wasn’t getting what she needed. I think the most interesting and telling part of this story is: they were “able to continue growing their relationship in this insulated way. But he didn’t really ‘know’ her yet outside of that bubble.” Joe only wanted Taylor when he could have her at home, in total privacy, and he didn’t want to be with “Taylor Swift, Pop Icon.”

As for what’s next, I guess Taylor is keeping the Primrose Hill place she bought in London during their relationship. She spent a lot of time in London with Joe, and Page Six has a piece about how much she loves it there and how close she was to Joe’s family. One “Swift source” tells Page Six: “I’m sure her friends will set her up with her next love. Taylor loves a London boy.”

Photos courtesy of Backgrid.

Robert Jobson’s new book, Our King, is being serialized by the Daily Mail. Jobson long has the reputation of someone close to King Charles’s court, and I think people are correctly surmising that the bulk of gossip from this book has come directly from Charles, Camilla and their people. I’d also like to point out that Jobson has “adopted” many of Prince Harry’s stories in Spare, basically confirming what Harry wrote, and then trying to put a royal-friendly spin on things. All of which to say, I’m surprised that Jobson actually admitted that then-Prince Charles didn’t believe that his mother was going to die within hours, and that Charles went out foraging for mushrooms in the last hours of his mother’s life.

King Charles has become accustomed to being mocked for talking to plants or otherwise communing with nature. However, such carping doesn’t matter to him. At moments of great stress, he always finds respite in the natural world – and the day that his mother died was no exception.

The night before, while presiding over a function at Dumfries House in East Ayrshire, he had been alerted that the Queen’s health had suddenly deteriorated. The following morning, on September 8, 2022, he was flown by helicopter to Balmoral Castle and joined Princess Anne at their mother’s bedside. At first, there seemed no immediate reason for alarm.

After spending a few hours with his mother, the Prince returned to Birkhall, his nearby estate on Royal Deeside. His intention? A walk in the surrounding woods, armed with a walking cane and a basket. As the Queen’s life ebbed away, her heir was foraging for mushrooms. More importantly, he was drawing solace and strength from the trees, the smell of the earth and the murmur of the River Muick.

Understandably lost in thought, the Prince knew that the defining moment of his life, at the advanced age of 73, was fast approaching: the death of his mother and his accession as King. His personal protection officers had deliberately hung back to give him some privacy, though they were aware of which part of the woods he was in at any given moment. It was one of these officers who went to find Charles to inform him that the Queen’s condition had dramatically worsened.

Advised to return to Balmoral immediately, the Prince reached her bedside before she died at 3.10pm. The only others present were his wife Camilla, Anne – who had never left her mother’s side – and the Queen’s doctor, GP James Glass, who had been treating her for more than 30 years.

Prince William, Prince Andrew and Prince Edward – and Edward’s wife Sophie, who had been very close to the Queen – arrived at Balmoral at about 5pm, almost two hours too late. As for Prince Harry, he didn’t turn up until just before 8pm. Close sources said he had decided not to fly up to Scotland with his brother and uncles after a disagreement over his wife, Meghan. When Harry insisted that she should accompany him, it was his father who told him she couldn’t come. Harry’s demands, said an insider, ‘did not go down well with the family – they were all shocked by his behaviour’.

[From The Daily Mail]

The original story was that Harry was told that no spouses were coming, except that Sophie was there, as was Anne’s husband Tim, not to mention Camilla. The only spouse who wasn’t “invited” was Kate – and when Harry and Meghan wanted to travel to Balmoral together, Charles called him and ordered him to leave Meghan behind, and Charles said insulting things about Meghan. As QEII lay dying. It also wasn’t Harry’s choice to take a different plane to Scotland – he was not invited to fly up with his brother.

As for Charles going foraging for mushrooms as his mother died… well, it was a choice. It was a choice for Charles and his staff to leak that information strategically too. I mean, there were questions about who was there in QEII’s final hours, and it seems abundantly clear that Anne was the only one who actually understood that the end was near.

Photos courtesy of Avalon Red.

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I’ve always thought that Olivia Culpo is insanely pretty. She’s just gorgeous, although I also understand how people can sort of forget about her? She’s not a full charisma vacuum, but she’s vacuum-adjacent. By far, one of the most interesting things about Culpo is her dating life and dating history. She’s dated Ryan Lochte, Nick Jonas, Tim Tebow, Danny Amendola, Zedd and her current man, Christian McCaffrey. Olivia and Christian have been together since 2019, and he just proposed to her. Now they’re engaged!

As of this week, San Francisco 49ers star running back Christian McCaffrey and former Miss Universe Olivia Culpo are engaged. The couple announced via Instagram on Friday that Culpo accepted McCaffrey’s proposal during a vacation in Utah, after four years of dating.

As Culpo once recalled, she and McCaffrey began dating in 2019 after being set up by friends, but she was “apprehensive” at first. She later explained to People she had previously set a “no athletes ever again” rule after previous dates with Tim Tebow and Ryan Lochte didn’t work out.

[From Yahoo]

I remember her relationship with Tebow vividly, because he was so publicly anti-premarital sex and Olivia had just gotten out of the relationship with Nick, who was also one of those “purity vow” people for a while. Anyway… Christian is a cutie. She got a good-looking one this time. He got her a really nice ring too, which is why I wanted to cover this! I would have expected Olivia to demand a princess-cut ring, but Christian worked with jeweler Ring Concierge on a 5-6 carat oval diamond ring, with epaulette side stones. Page Six says the ring costs between $100K to $200K. The setting is platinum but the band is yellow gold. It’s not bad – I wonder if he decided on this style on his own or if someone helped him.

Photos courtesy of Avalon Red, Instagram.

Remember when Prince Harry repeatedly said that he was willing to “give up” his titles in exchange for his family’s freedom? In the negotiations for Harry and Meghan’s exit in 2020, Harry believed everything was on the table and he even suggested the idea of giving up the Sussex titles in particular. It didn’t happen – the palace didn’t take their titles, and the excuse has been that neither QEII nor King Charles wanted to “look” punitive. I tend to believe that the calculation was less about optics and more like the institution’s mistaken belief that Harry would come crawling back to them. But, according to Robert Jobson’s latest book (Our King), there were actually high-level conversations about “stripping” Harry of his title. Those same high-level senior courtiers openly discussed how Harry was Meghan’s “hostage.” These people and their misogyny and racism, my god.

Discussions about stripping Harry of his Duke of Sussex title were held at the highest level and senior aides joked that he was a ‘hostage’ of his wife Meghan, a new bombshell book has revealed. The new book by veteran Royal writer Robert Jobson, due to be published on Thursday, shows how palace insiders would make jibes about Harry being a ‘victim of Stockholm syndrome’ as they blamed Meghan for the ‘fallout’ with the Royal Family.

Others, including some senior officials who feel Harry has ‘turned his back on everything he has known’, think the is the ‘driving force in everything that happened’ and want to see him demoted to Mr Mountbatten-Windsor of Montecito, California.

King Charles is understood to ‘not to be in favour’ of axing Harry’s royal title and has ‘enduring love for his son’, despite having made the decision that Meghan should not accompany Harry to Balmoral when the family gathered after the Queen died.

It is understood that the King is ‘saddened by the widening gulf’ between him and Harry, the royal expert claims, adding that Charles wishes he could see more of his grandchildren, Archie, three, and one-year-old Lilibet. Insiders also allege that the relationship between the King and the Sussexes becomes further from the possibility of repair with each interview Harry partakes in.

One senior aide, discussing the rift, told Mr Jobson: ‘Some blame Meghan Markle for the fallout, ignoring the fact that Harry seems to be the driving force in everything that happened. There was a point when officials joked Harry was the victim of Stockholm syndrome, and he was Meghan’s hostage, but now most just feel Harry has turned his back on everything he has known.’

[From The Daily Mail]

“It is understood that the King is ‘saddened by the widening gulf’ between him and Harry, the royal expert claims, adding that Charles wishes he could see more of his grandchildren…” Charles literally evicted his son, daughter-in-law and two grandchildren from the gifted home for which they paid millions. Charles evicted them out of spite, in retaliation for the publication of Harry’s memoir. If Charles actually wanted to encourage more visits from Harry or spend more time with his grandchildren, surely he would have ensured that they always have a safe and secure home in England, and ensure that they don’t have to jump through unhinged hoops with the Met Police?

As for the thick vein of misogyny and racism within the royal court… the thing is, the courtiers who talked openly about Harry having “Stockholm syndrome” are the same ones proudly briefing Jobson about it. They think that they’re insulting Harry, that it’s the worst thing for a man to be so in love with his wife, to be married to a woman he adores. Worse yet, King Charles is literally married to a machiavellian villainous who is the actual “reason” why Charles has such terrible relationships with his sons.

Photos courtesy of Avalon Red, Instar, Backgrid.

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Last week, Chilli Thomas accepted the Legacy Award on behalf of TLC at Variety’s Power of Women luncheon. She acknowledged her group mates and talked about their past and upcoming tour in her acceptance speech. At the event, she also talked to Page Six and dished about her relationship with Matthew Lawerence. She talked about how real and amazing their relationship is and how he’s changed everything about how she looks at relationships. Aw!

He’s no scrub.

Chilli gushed over her “amazing” romance with Matthew Lawrence at Variety’s Power of Women luncheon this week.

“It’s real and there is nothing fake about it,” the TLC singer, whose real name is Rozonda Thomas, told Page Six at the event. “I’m here with him because I wanna be and he wants to be. We’re just so happy, we really are.

“I honestly didn’t think that I would experience what I’m experiencing now and I was OK with that.”

The “No Scrubs” singer added that she was never someone who needed to be in a relationship.

“He has changed everything, the way I look at relationships. It’s so different,” she swooned.

However, Chilli declined to say whether a marriage was in the cards for the pair.

“We’re still in the beginning stages so we’ll see,” she said with a laugh.

[From Page Six]

Okay, maybe I’m just a cynical single, but I do roll my eyes a bit when people gush as much as these two, their reps, and his brothers have been gushing. Even T-Boz has confirmed she approves. It’s a lot, from all sides! They just got together around the holidays and confirmed their relationship in January. So it’s fairly new and they’re still in the honeymoon phase and new relationships often are like this. They can feel special and amazing and one-of-a-kind in the beginning. Anyway, it’s nice that they seem to be on the same page and it’s not one of them that seems more in love than the other. At first I thought it was Matthew, with his talk about kids and the full bloom of love, but it seems like Chilli is right there with him. It’s nice that they’re so happy. I’d just be happy if Chilli dropped her skincare routine.

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SPOILERS for Succession Season 4.

People are still grappling with what happened in the third episode of Succession’s fourth season, “Connor’s Wedding.” What’s funny/sad about Logan Roy’s death is that it was always the raison d’être of a show called “Succession.” It was always supposed to be about Logan Roy’s children and associates grappling with the messy chaos left in the wake of Logan Roy. It just took us more than three seasons to get there. It’s incredible that there are now seven episodes left of the show to give us just that: what happens in the post-Logan era? I strongly suspect that everything will fall apart, from the deal with Matsson, to the presidential election, to the actual company Waystar Royco. The Roy kids are all falling apart too – they don’t know how to exist without their father. Anyway, Brian Cox gave an “exit interview” to the New York Times – you can read the full piece here. Some highlights:

He got the news about Logan’s death from the show’s creator, Jesse Armstrong. “He called me, and he said, ‘Logan’s going to die,.’ And I thought, ‘Oh, that’s fine.’ I thought he would die in about Episode 7 or 8, but Episode 3, I thought … ‘Well that’s a bit early.’ Not that I was bothered.”

What he thought of how Logan died: “Well, they had to end it somehow, and it was Jesse’s choice. I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again, the problem with a lot of television, particularly American television, is it goes past its sell-by date. And the great thing about Jesse and the writers is they wouldn’t do that. It was difficult for them because it wasn’t easy to bring this to an end. And I think Jesse found it sad — at the premier, somebody shouted out, “Well, if it was so sad, why did you do it?” But I think there are lots of reasons for Jesse finishing it. And I applaud the fact that he did that. It was courageous because everybody loves the show. Always leave the party when it’s at its height, not when it’s going down.

The Irish goodbye: “I just think that’s what makes the show. You think about “Game of Thrones,” when they didn’t know what they were doing at the end, and they had an ending which was not really satisfactory. And the audience was furious. The audience [for “Succession”] might be furious; they might miss Logan and say, “Oh, what are you doing killing off one of the most interesting characters?” But it’s fine by me. I’m doing a lot of other stuff. I’m going back to the theater. I’m going to hopefully direct my first movie in my grand old age. And I’m doing “Long Day’s Journey Into Night” in London [in spring 2024]. So I know what I’m going to be doing probably till next summer.

Logan’s death changes the stakes: “It does change the stakes. The main protagonist is gone. And the kids are having to deal with it, or not. I think it’s going to be hard next week for a lot of the audience because they’re going to miss Logan. And I don’t think that’s a bad thing — I think that’s actually quite a good thing. Logan was coming to a rest point anyway. He realized that his children were never going to be — he’s got that great line when he says, “I love you, but you’re not serious people.” And I think that is so fundamental. The whole premise is really about entitlement and the rich and the fact that he’s plowed this particular furrow. And the consequences of that plowing are these kids and how [expletive] up they are, not necessarily because of him, but because of the wealth. They all suffer from entitlement in one form or another. And they behave like entitled spoiled brats a lot of the time.

On Method acting: “The problem with the Method thing is … I think [acting] is a lighter thing. You have to be more deft in your acting — still be in it, still be committed very deeply to it, but you’ve got to be able to turn on a dime. You’ve got to be able to drop it and come back. Otherwise, it becomes just like walking constipation.

The problem with American actors: “[Actors] think it’s about, “Oh, I just subsumed myself in the character and then I live it 24/7.” A real problem that America has — and I think it’s also what our show is about — is that America is only interested in the pursuit of individualism at the expense of community. When you look at the European theater, it’s all about community and groups who have dug in and have kept going year after year after year. America hasn’t done that. It’s the ensemble, the community that’s important in any project that you’re working on as actors. You have to create the community and you have to behave toward the community; it’s not about your, “I have to do this; I only can do it this way.”

[From The New York Times]

Logan’s line, “I love you, but you’re not serious people” is especially amazing considering it was one of the final things he said to his children the night before he passed away. It’s one of those lines which will echo through the rest of the season, reminiscent (I believe) of Tom telling Kendall last season: “I’ve seen you get f–ked a lot, and I’ve never seen Logan get f–ked once.” Anyway, I’m still blown away by the bold choice of killing off THE patriarch in the third episode of the final season. That’s such a confident move from Jesse Armstrong and the writers too – the fact that they’ve given themselves enough time to tell the story of “succession,” the story of what happens post-Logan. It will be one catastrophe after another, given that Logan never set up his children to succeed on their own. He spent their entire lives teaching them to keep secrets from one another, to stab each other in the back, to trust no one.

Photos courtesy of Avalon Red, Cover Images, HBO/Succession.